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 The Morning Line: Round 2
Posted: Saturday June 20, 1998 12:53 PM Sports Illustrated golf writer Alan Shipnuck checks in after each round of the U.S. Open Posted: Sat June 20, 1998 ROUND 2
My bad. I guess Payne Stewart, he of the syrupy swing and nauseating ward be, will be around for another day. Still, he's gotta feel like he fumbled just bit, dropping four shots to par over the final 15 holes and letting everyone else back in the tournament. It's getting tough out there, with the intermittent sunshine/breezes drying out the greens and fairways, leading to lots of approaches that are bouncing off the putting surface, and drives running through the doglegged fairways. After both rounds, players have expressed surprise at how difficult the pin positions have been. Mix in the pressure of playing on the weekend and it is possible that the pre-tournament predictions -- by Tom Watson, among others -- of a winning score north of par may come true. As for who's gonna win this thing ... I don't think even Dionne Warwick has a clue. -- Lee Janzen, the '93 Open champ who shot a stellar 66 on Friday spite doubling 17, is the only one on the first page of the leaderboard with any ood memories in the national championship. But ever since his manly play at the Ryder Cup he has shown an alarming vulnerability at crunch time, especially at the Players Championship, where he led after three rounds only to post a galling 79 on Sunday. Janzen hasn't won since 1995, so the law of averages is on his side. He's also one of the purest putters in golf. Right now he's my pick, but it's tepid. -- Jeff Maggert remains an enigma wrapped in a puzzle shrouded by mystery. There's no doubt his controlled game is ideal for the Open, and he might have won last year were it not for a pair of jittery three-putts down the stretch. He also finished a strong fourth in 1995. But since his last Tour victory, in 1993, he's had something like 217 runner-up finishes. His inability to close the deal is a major concern, especially in a major. The real buzz is with Matt Kuchar, the 19-year-old U.S. Amateur champ who is only two shots back of Stewart. How's this for Cinderella schtick -- Sunday is Kuchar's birthday, not to mention Father's Day, which is notable because Matt's dad, Peter, is looping for him. (By the way, is it me or is Peter Kuchar the most obnoxious cat this side of Earl Woods. If I see the elder Kooch pump his fist one more time I'm gonna hurl.) While Kuchar showed impressive poise in finishing 21st at the Masters, making a good showing is not the same as contending. I'd be surprised if he's still there on the back nine on Sunday. Then again, everything this kid does is surprising.
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